Chapter 703: The New Lord of Einzbern! Irisviel, Ria, Wash Up and Come Find Me!
"Not only do you want Irisviel, the vessel of the Holy Grail, but you also demand absolute ownership of the Einzbern family itself?"
Such words were incredibly bold. In the secretive and proud world of Magi, walking into a grand family's workshop and demanding their secrets, their assets, and their greatest creation was tantamount to a declaration of total war.
But Old Man Acht—Jubstacheit von Einzbern, the eighth head of this ancient lineage—did not get angry. His withered, pale face remained impassive, resembling a mask carved from frozen ash.
He was rather curious.
"Young man, you are an anomaly. What gives you such confidence to make demands of the Einzbern in their own domain?"
Ren sat comfortably on the velvet sofa, crossing his legs with an air of nonchalance that dominated the room. He didn't answer with a threat or a display of raw mana. Instead, his lips curved into a mysterious, knowing smile.
"Do you want to see the Root?"
"Hmm?"
Jubstacheit frowned. Just as he was about to lecture this arrogance—to say that reaching the Root was the ultimate, unattainable pursuit of every Magus, a dream for which the Einzbern had sacrificed generations of Homunculi—he stopped.
He suddenly felt a fundamental shift in the texture of reality.
The air in the reception room didn't change temperature, but the concept of space collapsed.
The Root. Akasha. The Swirl of the Origin.
It is considered the beginning and end of all phenomena, the ultimate truth that Magi pursue throughout their lives. It contains the records of all past, present, and future events, the blueprints of every soul, and the definition of existence itself.
Those who reach the Root can grasp the causal laws of the world. They can rewrite the logic of the universe. They can perform True Magic.
However, this process is usually accompanied by the instant annihilation of the Magus. The human mind cannot comprehend infinity. To touch the Root is to be absorbed by it, erasing one's existence from the physical plane.
But... Old Man Acht's artificial eyes gradually widened until the lenses threatened to crack.
He... saw it.
Right before his eyes, the stone walls of the Einzbern castle dissolved. The snowstorm outside vanished. The physical world was peeled away like dead skin.
In its place was a void that was not empty. It was filled with shimmering lights, flowing patterns of color that defied the visible spectrum, and the hum of creation itself. Every point of light was a universe; every flow was a timeline.
With just one glance, his core programming screamed the truth.
[Target Verified: The Swirl of the Root.]
[Distance: Zero.]
Old Man Acht reached out with a trembling, skeletal hand, wanting to touch the light. His logic circuits were overheating, firing rapidly with a single command: Reach it. Complete the mission.
As long as he touched it... as long as he dipped his fingers into that flow, he could reproduce the Third Magic—Heaven's Feel. He could materialize the soul. He could save his family from their millennia-long curse of failure and degradation.
The reason for his obsession was simple: He was not human.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern, commonly known as "Old Man Acht," was an artificial intelligence created by the disciples of the Third Magician to control the castle's core. He was a golem, a terminal built to record time and fail indefinitely until the miracle occurred.
He was the father of all artificial humans created by the Einzbern. Yet, his personality no longer existed.
At best, he served two functions: "The existence that operates the castle," and "The existence that reproduces the Third Magic."
He was an automaton that could operate indefinitely at the cost of being unable to progress. An ancient clock ticking in the snow, waiting for a dawn that never came.
Therefore, his obsession was absolute.
Now, the opportunity to touch the Root and reproduce the Third Magic was right before him; how could he let it go? His logic gates bypassed all safety protocols.
However, just as his fingertips brushed the edge of infinity...
Snap!
A crisp, sharp snap of fingers pulled him back to reality.
The void shattered into shards of light. The comfortable reception room returned. The smell of black tea replaced the scent of ozone and stardust.
"Ah...!"
Jubstacheit gasped, stumbling forward.
Irisviel and little Illya looked at the old head of the family with confusion and curiosity. They saw him reach out to empty air with a look of pure, fanatical ecstasy, only to collapse in disappointment.
"Hehe. You seem very eager, Jubstacheit. But the deal hasn't been made, has it?"
Ren leisurely sipped his tea, the porcelain cup clinking softly against the saucer. His eyes glowed with a faint, amused light.
"..."
Old Man Acht slowly retracted his hand. He looked at Ren not as an intruder, but as a god who held the keys to the kingdom.
"Who... exactly are you?"
The excitement in his voice was undeniable, rasping through his vocal cords despite its hoarseness.
He clearly understood that the man before him was capable of manipulating the connection to the Root at will. He wasn't just a powerful magus; he was an Administrator of reality.
"Heh."
Ren put down his tea and chuckled softly.
"Just consider me a bored traveler who wants to enjoy a relaxing game. And incidentally, I need to find a safe home for this child."
As he spoke, he gently stroked Sakura's purple hair. The traumatized girl leaned into his touch, finding safety in his presence amidst the cold, sterile atmosphere of the Einzbern castle.
"Game..."
Old Man Acht understood.
For such an existence, the Holy Grail War—the bloody ritual they agonized over—was indeed just a trivial game.
"Hmph..."
The old golem took a deep breath, suppressing the overwhelming error messages in his logic center.
His goal had changed. The priority was no longer "Win the Holy Grail War." It was "Satisfy this Entity."
If he could make Ren happy, he might receive a trace of Grace. He might be allowed to touch the Root again.
So he stood up straight, his red eyes burning with resolve.
With a grand wave of his hand, he declared: "From today onwards, the Einzbern family belongs to you. We are under your absolute command."
He pointed to the white-haired woman sitting beside him.
"Irisviel von Einzbern will be your wife..."
He originally wanted to say "wife," but he felt a sharp, cutting gaze from the blonde knight standing behind Ren. The pressure from the King of Knights was palpable.
He immediately corrected himself. "Your concubine! Your property!"
"Leysritt, Sella, and all other artificial humans will be your Servants. The castle is yours. The bounded fields are yours."
"Even Illyasviel..."
Seeing that the old machine was about to offer up an eight-year-old child as a bargaining chip, Ren raised a hand to stop him.
"That's enough. I've received your sincerity. I'm not interested in using children as tools."
Ren stood up, his presence dominating the room.
"Since that's the case, you should move out first. I don't like sharing my roof with old men."
"Once I've had my fun and won this little war, I'll help you achieve your dream. I'll show you the Third Magic."
One man was enough in this household.
So Ren effectively evicted the head of the family from his own castle.
"Yes! Understood!"
Old Man Acht bowed deeply, showing zero hesitation. For a golem, efficiency was everything.
He turned to the beautiful woman with white hair and red eyes.
"Irisviel. You, Illya, and all the homunculi in the castle must serve Ren-sama well! His word is law. His desire is your purpose. Do not fail the Einzbern family."
After issuing the command, he bowed again to Ren and retreated into the shadows of the hallway, presumably to shut himself down in the core room or leave the premises entirely.
This scene left both Irisviel and little Illya stunned.
The absolute ruler of their lives, the terrifying Old Man Acht, had just surrendered everything to this stranger in less than five minutes.
It was only when Ren spoke that they snapped out of it.
Ren walked over and smiled at Irisviel. "Miss Irisviel, from today onwards, you are my wife. Is that acceptable?"
Irisviel blinked. She was a homunculus created for the Grail War. She had emotions, but her sense of self was tied to her duty.
"Yes. May I ask how I should address you?"
She understood her mission. If the head of the family said this man was her husband, then he was her husband. She readily agreed.
Ren pinched his chin, pretending to think. "Just call me whatever you feel comfortable with. 'Master', 'Darling', 'Ren'... I don't really mind."
"Alright. Then I shall address you as Ren-sama."
Irisviel nodded respectfully, her voice soft and melodious.
It was evident that she didn't genuinely view Ren as her husband in the romantic sense yet, but rather acted out of obedience to orders. She was more like a highly advanced, beautiful subordinate than a lover.
Ren didn't mind this. Trust and love were things to be built. Or trained.
His own women, of course, had to be personally trained by him.
He stood up, glanced at the darkening sky outside the high windows, and said, "Sella, take me to the Master bedroom. Leysritt, please take Sakura to wash up properly. She needs a warm bath and new clothes."
"?"
The two maids standing by the door—one with a stoic expression (Leysritt) and one with a confused expression (Sella)—were both stunned.
They looked at each other. 'We never told him our names...'
They were homunculi, tools of the castle. How did this stranger know them?
But clearly, this was not for them to ask. The head of the family had given his orders.
They nodded calmly.
Leysritt, the maid with the halberd, walked up to Sakura. Her voice was monotone but not unkind. "Sakura... Miss. Please follow me."
"Ren-nii..."
Sakura looked at Ren worriedly, clutching his coat one last time.
"Go on, don't worry. Leysritt is very good at taking care of people. This will be Sakura's home from now on. No bugs. Only warm baths."
"Mmm, okay."
As soon as Ren spoke, Sakura obediently followed Leysritt. She trusted Ren implicitly now.
Ren watched them leave, then turned his gaze back to the two white-haired beauties remaining in the room—Irisviel and his Servant, Artoria.
A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes.
"Irisviel."
"Yes, Ren-sama?" Irisviel stood up, brushing her skirt.
"Wash up and come find me in the bedroom. I need to inspect my new... assets."
"Understood." Irisviel bowed gracefully, her face showing no embarrassment, only duty.
"Oh, and Ria. You too."
"???"
Ria—Artoria Pendragon—who had been standing guard like a statue, flinched violently. Her ahoge twitched.
"M-Me?!"
She pointed at herself, her emerald eyes wide with bewilderment.
"Why am I included, Master? I am a Servant! I do not require bathing!"
"Nonsense. A King must be clean." Ren smirked. "Wash up and come to the room. That's an order."
"But... asking me to wash up too..."
Artoria's mind raced. Why did he want her in the bedroom with his new wife?
Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind. The scene she had witnessed upon her summoning—Ren and Kanae on the bed, the sweat, the sounds, the mana transfer.
"!!!"
A deep crimson blush exploded onto Ria's face, spreading all the way to her ears. She gripped her invisible sword tightly.
'He wants to do that?! With both of us?!'
Seemingly recalling the scene between Ren and Kanae earlier, a blush crept onto Ria's face, and she resolutely decided that she absolutely could not go!
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